March 21, 2017

This weeks assignment was working with choropleth maps otherwise known as thematic maps. We also worked with different classification methods.

We were instructed to take a state of our choosing and make a choropleth map of the number of cattle in that state by county. We had to make 5 different maps and use different classification methods for each map. We also had to make each map a different size. This map right here is my favorite of the 5. I chose the state of Rhode Island because its the smallest state, and allowed me to focus in on what I was doing better. I really like how I made the counties stick out over the color choices. I chose to place my ranch right in the middle of the state because the cattle seemed to be mostly located at the northern end and southern end.

March 5, 2017

This week we moved away from maps a bit and concentrated on strictly legends.

The assignment was to take the data set from week 1 (which was a natural park / wilderness with ranches, rivers, roads, trails, and lakes) and make 5 completely different legends based on those feature sets. The symbols, colors, shapes, fonts, and patch (among other things) all had to be different. I had a lot of fun with this assignment and think I did a good job.

who is Ryan?

In 2014 upon moving to the Deep South from California, I noticed a lot of new things while driving around. The one thing that really stuck out more than anything though was how inefficient the street lights were. More than just a nuisance, the street light infrastructure was in need of a colossal overhaul.

So why did the incompetent street lights bug me so much? Soon I realized the answer to this was that they both were completely inefficient and had poor design.

Bingo!

I love design, and I strive to make my life as efficient as possible. This is my calling! I found out the name of the occupation that is in charge of this is transportation planning. Great! But somehow I couldn’t see myself embarking on a career without a strong technology component.

Enter geographic information systems, otherwise known as GIS! It’s the perfect blend of science, art, & technology. GIS is essential to not only transportation planners, but also to a broad range of other professions too. This blog is a record of my journey to to go from beginner to GIS graduate!